Forget
by Omni Storyteller
Summary: They were partners; they always had faith in one another that the other would pull through. Ladybug reassured herself of this whenever something happened to either one of them. So why does a part of that resolve crumble every time he looks at her as if she were a stranger?
1. Lapse

**First chapter of the second part of my mini-series and sequel to _Strength_ is now up! (Or, my sad attempt at angst.) Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.**

* * *

It started out as a slip in memory.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had been facing a particularly difficult Akuma that day. It was _supposed_ to be a normal patrol day for the both of them, considering that one, the other, or neither could meet up as usual during the week due to school being especially overwhelming for them.

The Landscaper had succumbed to Papillon's influence after being ridiculed for his "poor taste" in terms of plant arrangement for a specific section of the city that was soon to be open to the public. As a result of his awakening, growth of every type of flora present in Paris had gone haywire, amassing to the forest-like greenery that overtook the city's streets.

He had threatened to turn the city itself into his own personal garden, using the Champs-Élysées as his base of central command.

The duo had already determined the Akuma to be inside the Landscaper's large gardening shears — the only thing he had on him when he was Akumatized — but was struggling to even approach the villain at a high vantage point. All efforts at freestyle acrobatics and agility were hindered as bouts of foliage and branches impeded their every move.

They had already dodged flowers that produced sleep spores — which had unfortunately befallen the citizens — and spores that caused paralysis, even having a close call with a Venus Flytrap. At one point, Ladybug even tried to use her magically enhanced strength to bypass it all, but was met with newly-sprouted roots threatening to tangle her arms and legs.

With no clear way up and vines attempting to ensnare them for nutrients at every turn, the heroes had to resort to their trump cards.

Upon calling on Lucky Charm, Ladybug was given a matchbox, to which the heroine immediately knew what to do. Luckily, she had just learned about controlled burning* in class.

Once both of them made it to a place where they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire — pun _not_ intended — Ladybug swiftly swiped one of the matches along the side of the box, igniting the tip of the stick with a tiny flame, and set one of the treetop canopies ablaze.

The heroes watched as the flames grew in size and burned their way up the monument, scorching most of the foliage down to the roots and clearing a path straight to the villain. But they had to move. New shoots were beginning to sprout, and there was only a limited amount of time before the side of the monument was overrun with plants again.

Thankfully, they had made it to the top in time, leaving Chat Noir to use Cataclysm on the Landscaper's shears and effectively sealing their victory.

But the aftermath was where things turned strange.

Following the tainted butterfly's purification and the restoration spell, Ladybug held up her fist, fully expecting it to be met with her partner's in what became their tradition after a successful mission.

But it was never returned.

Instead, Ladybug was stunned as she watched her partner start to walk away without so much as a backward glance.

"Uh, Chat Noir?" she called, stopping the feline hero in his tracks. He turned back to her with an equally surprised look on his face.

She held up her offered fist awkwardly, her shoulders lifting in a half-shrug. "Are you just going to leave me hanging, _minou_?"

His face was blank for a moment before it registered, and his eyes snapped wide. He then chuckled sheepishly as he rushed over, bumping his knuckles with hers.

"Many a- _paw_ -logies, My Lady," he joked, earning a light-hearted groan from his partner. "Just _feline_ a little out of it today."

"Not enough to stop cracking your jokes, I see," Ladybug deadpanned as they dropped their hands. Chat Noir only grinned in response.

The heroine's expression then turned earnest with a hint of nervousness. "On a more serious note, though, since I've only got three minutes left… Was there anything you wanted to ask me about?"

Chat Noir only looked at her questioningly, confused. "About… what?"

Now Ladybug was even more stunned.

"You know!" she insisted, holding up her hands and willing her secondary aspect into existence. "About this!"

Her partner watched as the familiar flecks of energy appeared and steadily danced around her hands, fascination and awe shining in his eyes.

As if he was seeing them for the first time.

"Wow, _buginette_! I didn't know you could do that! How long have you been able to do that? Have you been able to do that this whole time?"

Ladybug was growing more concerned by the minute. "No. Chat Noir… I only had this since last week. You saw it before. I was going to tell you about it the next time we met up, remember? After the fight with the Challenger?"

To her dismay, he was only looking a little more lost. "Really? I saw…? You were…? Um…" Realization dawned on him then, eyes lighting up as the memories suddenly came to him. "Oh! That's right, I remember now!"

The heroine let out a breath of relief that she didn't know she had been holding, her hands dropping to her sides as if they had lost all their energy and the flecks vanishing with her waning emotions. "Sheesh, kitty, have you really forgotten about it?"

"Sorry, My Lady," he replied as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It completely slipped my mind!"

"It's only been a week, Chat Noir," Ladybug reminded him with a giggle. She poked his bell teasingly. "Your memory can't be that faulty, can it?"

"Hey! I'll have you know, my memory is _purr_ -etty sharp." He tapped his temple with a small grin. "Almost as sharp as my senses!"

"If you say so, _chaton_."

A warning beep from their Miraculouses suddenly startled them both, reminding them of how much time they had left.

"Uh-oh, I'm about to change back," Ladybug said as she placed a hand over her earring, realizing that that was the last warning signal. She looked up at her partner with a sense of urgency. "Sorry, Chat Noir. I guess we're going to have to postpone this, uh" — she gestured awkwardly with her hands — " _this_ again."

"No rush, My Lady. Whenever you're ready." The feline hero put one hand to his heart while holding the other up in a gesture of a promise. "And I won't forget again."

"I'll hold you to that, kitty," Ladybug replied with a small grin as she tossed her yo-yo at a nearby building, where it anchored itself around a support beam. With a final glance of farewell at her partner, she swung away, but not without a strange, faint nagging worry at the back of her mind.

Surely he wouldn't forget again? Of course he wouldn't! It was just the one time.

…Right?

* * *

 ***Fun fact for those of you who don't know, controlled burning is a technique of forest management, or, to put it simply, a way of controlling forest growth using deliberate forest fires.**


	2. Symptom

**Second chapter is now up! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.**

* * *

"Are you sure you actually forgot?" Plagg asked nonchalantly as he took another bite of his given slice of camembert. "You don't seem like the forgetful type to me, especially when it comes to important things like that."

"Gee, thanks, Plagg," Adrien replied dully as he scrolled through recent posts on the Ladyblog website. "And yes, I actually _did_ forget. I can forget things sometimes too, you know."

It had taken one minute to help the victim down from the Champs-Élysées and another to reassure him that no permanent damage had been done. Which left the last minute for the feline hero to rush back home before he de-transformed.

"Still… I'm surprised. Are you really not afraid of the fact that she can now do something really scary?" the cat Kwami inquired.

"I wasn't afraid!" Adrien argued indignantly. " _Really_ surprised, sure, but not afraid. In fact" — he leaned forward, propping an elbow on the desk and resting his chin on his hand as he stared up at Ladybug's face on the Ladyblog dreamily — "I think it just makes her even more amazing."

"Blegh! Stop that before I lose my appetite!" Plagg cried out in disgust as he swallowed the rest of the slice of camembert whole.

"You wouldn't understand anything outside of your 'adoration' for cheese."

"Because cheese is all I really need," Plagg retorted, rubbing his belly in satisfaction.

The boy sat back in his chair with a sigh. "I just… I can't believe I forgot. There were so many things I wanted to ask her. How strong is she now? Does she… feel any different? What does it feel like for her?"

"…You turn into such a big nerd when it comes to these types of things. She did say "postpone," didn't she? Just ask her the next time you see her."

"Well…" Adrien pondered about it. "School has been lightening up on the workload lately, so we can join up together for patrols again. But I don't want to force the answers out of her, though. She seemed… really nervous just trying to bring the subject up."

"Then don't ask her."

He looked at Plagg incredulously but then shook his head, deciding not to question it.

A thought suddenly occurred to him, however, his curiosity piqued. The boy fully turned to the Kwami, his expression serious. "Hey, Plagg?"

"Hm?"

"Am I… also capable of doing what Ladybug can do now? Does… Chat Noir have that ability too or—"

"You haven't shown any signs."

Plagg's answer was so abrupt, and for once completely serious, that Adrien was rather taken aback. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Exactly as I said." Plagg stretched, as if bored, but there was a bit of tension in his tiny arms. "Too many details to get into. Basically, some but not all holders of the black cat's ring throughout the years had certain qualities, allowing them to wield a secondary Degree of Destruction. Varied with each holder and whatnot. But the main thing is, you're not one of them."

Adrien, who had been trying his best to absorb the onslaught of information despite his ever-increasing confusion, couldn't help the faint stab of disappointment he felt upon hearing that. And out of all the new questions that were forming in his mind, the one that came out of his mouth was, "I'm not?"

"Don't take it personally. It's been a while since I've seen it happen." The Kwami crossed his arms. "Besides, Chat Noir is already powerful enough with Cataclysm, the main game of physical decay and demolition. Although a secondary degree is a bonus, it's not really _needed_. I wouldn't really worry myself over it if I were you."

But Adrien _did_ find himself worrying about it, although for a much different reason than the one his initial disappointment stemmed from. In fact, his worries were more for Ladybug than for himself.

If she was stronger now, how much more danger would that put her in?

The boy found himself shuddering at the thought as he powered down his computer monitor, stood up, and walked over to flop face-forward onto his bed with a sigh. Plagg watched neutrally as his holder turned his head slightly, his green eyes gazing out at the city pensively. He was definitely going to ask her about it on the next day of patrol…

Wait a minute.

Adrien suddenly sat up, his brows furrowing as he frowned in thought.

On the next day of patrol, he was supposed to meet up with… who again?

* * *

The next morning…

"It doesn't really seem like him, Tikki," Marinette voiced to her Kwami as she walked towards school, still perplexed by the exchange from last night. "Out of everything, I'd have least expected him to be absentminded."

"Everyone lets things slip from their minds once in a while, Marinette," Tikki replied from the girl's purse. "The schoolwork combined with fighting Akumas in between had been hard on you this past week; you've nearly forgotten several of your assignments! Maybe it's the same with him."

"I suppose so, but to forget something like this" — the blue-eyed girl held up a hand, watching in concentration as the specks of glowing, pink-colored energy briefly flashed into view around her fingers before vanishing — "seems to bother me for some reason. And I can't quite put my finger on it."

"If it'll reassure you, why not ask him about it tonight?" Tikki suggested. "It'll give both of you the chance to talk about what you want to talk about."

"Hey, you're right! And he did mention that he was feeling out of it, so I may be overthinking things. Hopefully, we'll get everything sorted out then." The blue-eyed girl sighed. "I just hope Papillon doesn't release another Akuma today. _Or_ school doesn't try to test our endurance again. I barely made it through last week."

"Your endurance is exceptional! Both in and out of costume!"

The girl giggled. "Thanks, Tikki. Your encouragement is really—!"

Too engrossed in her conversation with her little friend, Marinette's foot hit a bump in the sidewalk, and she let out a yelp as her body pitched forward. Her arms flailed, trying to grab onto anything to steady herself, before she shut her eyes and braced for her face to meet the concrete.

The impact never came, however, her fall suddenly stopped as she landed against something — some _one_. Her arms instinctively wrapped around whoever caught her, just as hands grabbed onto her shoulders to steady her.

"Marinette! Are you okay?"

She froze completely, recognizing the voice. Upon opening her eyes, she glimpsed a familiar white blazer over a black shirt before tentatively peering up into the lucky green eyes of a concerned Adrien.

For a moment, neither of them moved, and Marinette felt herself being pulled into the depths of his irises. She suddenly snapped out of her daze, heat rising to her face as she realized their rather _close_ proximity. His earlier question then registered in her mind and she opened her mouth to respond.

All that came out was a strangled whine.

Adrien's brows furrowed in worry. "That doesn't sound good. I can help take you to the nurse's if you—"

She couldn't scramble away from his hold fast enough, as much as she didn't want to. The heat in her face only increased, her arms flailing briefly around her head before she started waving them in front of her frantically, trying to be reassuring.

"N-No! No n-nurse! Fine I'm! I-I mean— I-I'm just f-fine! Th-Th-Thank you! Hehe!"

The boy only grew more concerned. "Are you sure…?"

Marinette found herself nodding a lot more than she needed to, but the embarrassment she felt was overwhelming. "Y-Yes! N-No problem!"

Adrien smiled, finally convinced. "All right then. If you say so."

Marinette grinned back for a split second before noticing that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes like it usually did. In fact, they seemed rather troubled.

With the roles suddenly switched, the girl worked up the nerve to ask him if _he_ was okay, opening her mouth again while she still had his attention.

"A-Adrien, a-are you—"

She was suddenly cut off, letting out a yelp instead as she was harshly shoved backwards, where another set of hands caught her by the shoulders.

" _Adrihoney!_ " Chloé's shrill voice rang in Marinette's ears as she looked up in annoyance to see the mayor's daughter standing in the spot she had just been a moment earlier. The blue-eyed blonde wasted no time in attaching herself to the boy's arm before practically dragging him away up the school steps.

"Not having much luck this morning?"

Marinette whirled around to see Alya, who had been the one to catch her. The blogger set a hand on her hip, expression supportive and willing to lend a listening ear.

Relieved to see her best friend, Marinette let out a low growl of frustration, clenching her fists in front of her. "She's such a _pest_ , Alya! The worst timing ever! I was just trying to ask Adrien if he was okay because he looked kind of down. And I actually _tried_ this time!"

Alya patted her shoulder comfortingly. "You make the effort where it counts, girl. Maybe you can ask him later during study hall." She gave a sly grin. "You'll probably be able to cheer him up."

Marinette let out a chuckle as they headed to class. "Quit teasing me, Alya. This is Adrien we're talking about."

Nevertheless, Adrien's unusual demeanor was beginning to worry the raven-haired girl. Throughout the day, she would notice slight differences in his body language, facial expressions, and little gestures, no matter how subtle they appeared. She could see the way his shoulders slumped at times when he was alone, as if a heavy weight had been placed upon them. His hands didn't move with as much fervor as they used to when he talked about topics that interested him.

And when he thought no one was looking, she saw the way his smile dropped as his eyes became clouded with an emotion she couldn't place.

It was now study hall, and Marinette had been both thrilled and terrified when Adrien took the seat diagonal from her at a secluded table in a corner of the library. To what little fortune she had, it was just the two of them.

However, when she opened her mouth to try to greet him, she immediately clamped it shut upon seeing that unknown expression on his face. Whatever it was prevented him from even acknowledging her presence at all.

Marinette shrank in her seat, uncertain, watching in concern as Adrien only pretended to read the page of the textbook in front of him, his clouded eyes just skimming over the words. Fiddling with her fingers, the heroine wracked her brain for ideas on how to proceed. She didn't want to be too invasive of his personal thoughts, yet she also didn't want to leave him as he was.

The girl let out an internal sigh. Why was everything so complicated for her when it came to the blonde-haired boy?

Another idea suddenly occurred to her, a lightbulb moment. Fast and simple.

A second later, she had a piece of notebook paper out, tearing a strip of it off one end. Then using her pencil, she wrote down the question she had been wanting to ask him, the words that she could never voice properly.

Satisfied, she quickly set down the pencil and folded the strip of paper in half, note inward, and slid it across the table toward his hand that lay idly beside his book. She slid it just until it rested under his little finger before quickly withdrawing her own hand.

The small contact was enough to startle Adrien out of whatever daze he was in, his eyes lighting up and darting around in confusion before falling on the folded strip of paper. With his brows creasing curiously, Marinette held her breath as she watched him pick it up, unfold it, and read the note inside.

His irises slowly moved from one side to the other, evidence that he was actually reading this time, before he looked up and locked gazes with her.

Marinette's heart skipped a beat as they stared at each other a lot longer than necessary, before she lifted her hand in a tentative wave, a nervous grin spreading across her face. Another moment passed before Adrien gave a small smile in response.

The girl's heart fluttered.

She watched inquisitively as he bent down to fish out a pencil from his book bag before he started scribbling across the paper. He then folded it again and carefully slid it back to her.

Marinette did her best to suppress her bubbling excitement, pressing her lips tightly together to prevent the high-pitched squeal that threatened to escape and willing the tremors in her fingers to go away as she took the paper back in her hands. She fumbled slightly as she unfolded it before her eyes automatically zeroed in on the words that were written beneath her own.

 ** _Yeah, I'm alright. Just a lot of stuff going on. Thanks for checking up on me._**

Marinette contained another squeal; he actually answered! She could practically hear his sincerity. Taking up her pencil again, she thought for a moment, unsure of how much prodding would be too much.

She finally settled for: **_Personal?_**

His response: **_Sort of. In a manner of speaking._**

And it continued, this back-and-forth exchange of written notes between the two students. In a short period of time, they had used up all available space on the paper strip, prompting Marinette to just use the remainder of the paper the strip was torn from.

The topic of their written conversation changed constantly, mostly due to Marinette wanting to take the boy's mind off of whatever he was stressing over. And granted, it wasn't the type of conversation she had in mind. But it worked, as she didn't have to worry about being a stuttering mess while he genuinely smiled at some of the responses.

She soon started drawing random doodles and folding the paper into different shapes, to which Adrien responded by drawing his own figures and folding the paper into nonsensical forms. There were now so many bends in the paper that it slightly distorted the writing.

Before either of them knew it, the bell rung, signaling the end of study hall. Marinette internally deflated, wishing for once that study hall actually lasted longer.

As she finished packing her books and notebooks away, Adrien passed by her, but not before slipping the paper, folded, into her palm. Her fingers automatically closed around it as she looked up in surprise, seeing him give a knowing smile and a wave of farewell before continuing on his way.

Curious, Marinette carefully unfolded the paper, her eyes immediately landing on a lightly circled note amidst the chaos of doodles and responses. Upon reading it, her heart swelled, and she didn't bother to suppress the small happy squeal that escaped from her lips.

 ** _Thank you, Marinette. For cheering me up. It helped a lot._**

* * *

Later that night…

Ladybug was running across the rooftops of Paris, an extra spring in her step as she headed for the patrol meeting place. She giggled giddily for what was the twentieth time since she had returned home from school, no doubt due to what had transpired in the library.

She had tacked up their note exchange right next to his love letter, never to be forgotten.

As she landed on the designated rooftop, she spotted Chat Noir already there, sitting on the roof's ledge with his back facing her.

The heroine smiled, partially because of her good mood, but also because her partner was actually early. Earlier than the scheduled time for once. Excellent. They could get patrol started.

She snickered slightly as she strode toward him, extending her arm outward. As she approached, her fingers lightly brushed against one of his fake ears, intending on giving it a scratch. "Hey, _chaton._ You're actually—"

The boy suddenly ducked away from her touch upon contact, as if her fingers scorched him. He swiftly rolled off the ledge and onto the roof, putting distance between them as he stood up.

His reaction stunned Ladybug, her arm still frozen in mid-air where she had reached out to him. All the positive emotions she had been feeling immediately ceased as increasing worry took their place. Her brows under her mask creased in concern as she slowly withdrew her arm to turn towards her partner.

"Chat Noir…?"

He whirled around to face her, the usual bright shine in his green feline eyes replaced with the unfamiliar fogginess of a stranger.

* * *

 **…**


	3. Fracture

**Chapter three is now up! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: This show and its characters belong to Thomas Astruc. I do not own anything.**

 **Happy Belated 1-Year Anniversary, Miraculous!**

* * *

A gasp of surprise escaped from Ladybug's lips, her irises shrinking in shock. Never did she think that she would see such a look in her partner's eyes before, much less directed at her. It honestly left her at a loss for words.

Chat Noir continued to stare at her in uncomfortable silence, his stance unusually tense and wary. It didn't help that his hand hovered over his baton, ready to grab at a moment's notice.

Ready to fight _her_.

The heroine noticed this and raised her hands placatingly, as if trying to soothe an agitated animal, but the action only made him flinch.

"Who… Who are you?" he demanded, voice strained.

She recoiled at his hostile tone, disbelieving of what she had just heard. Did she even hear him right?

What was going on?

"I'm Ladybug," she answered at last, as calm as she could manage with her hands still raised. In that moment, it was the only answer she had. "Your partner."

The girl felt her heart sink as Chat Noir's mask only creased in confusion, and he briskly shook his head. "I—I don't—"

Ladybug couldn't take it anymore and took a step toward him. "Chat—"

She froze when he instantly stepped back in alarm, his fingers brushing his staff.

"I… don't—" He visibly swallowed. "I don't… remember…"

She frowned, setting her hands on her hips. She was really beginning to dislike this. "Chat Noir, come on! This isn't funny. You can stop with your—"

The heroine abruptly cut herself off as she noticed that his lost expression never changed at all, holding no trace of his usual humor, his usual teasing.

It made her heart sink even further.

"Chat Noir, you can't be— We've been working together from the start!" Ladybug gestured between them and then to herself. "We're a team, remember?"

To her dismay, he shook his head again, looking even more befuddled than before. She meekly reached out to him with her hand, despite the wide distance between them.

"…I don't understand. How could you just forget all that, _minou_?"

Chat Noir's eyes widened upon hearing the nickname, and it was as if something clicked together in his mind, the cloudiness dissipating all at once and the confusion turning into clarity. Realization dawned on him as he looked at her in recognition, the familiar shine returning to his irises.

"L-Ladybug? My Lady, I—" He gingerly approached, slowly reaching out and grasping her outstretched hand in both of his, surprising her. "I-I'm so sorry! I…"

An overwhelming sense of relief washed through the heroine as she felt his fingers tighten around hers. She let out a sigh and looked up at him with a tired smile. "You had me going there, didn't you, kitty?"

He gaped, having one of the most guilty-looking cat eyes she had ever seen, his fake ears slightly drooping. Completely unlike the carefree, flirty hero she knew.

He then started blubbering. "I-I'm sorry— I don't know what— I just—"

"Don't worry about it, _chaton_ ," Ladybug cut in gently, reaching up with her free hand to finally give him a proper ear scratch. All that mattered at the moment was that he was back. _She'll_ be the one to worry about the heavy issues later.

"But I was…" One of the hero's hands flew up to the back of his neck, rubbing it sheepishly as his expression morphed into one of hesitation. He hadn't been this nervous since he tried to confess on Valentine's Day. "I told you I wasn't going to… and I was going to ask you about…"

Through his broken sentences, she knew what he was talking about. However, with her hand still encased in one of his, she responded by taking a large step back, pulling him with her. Surprise overtook Chat Noir's face as their feet picked up speed, running straight for the edge of the roof.

"Why don't we do some patrolling first? Let our minds and emotions settle down a bit. Besides, we're now _very_ behind schedule." Ladybug looked back at him with a knowing grin, picking up on his unease. Her free hand grasped at her yo-yo, ready to launch.

"Sound good, kitty?"

* * *

A few hours later, the Dynamic Duo sat on one of the highest beams of the Eiffel Tower, gazing out at their beloved city in companionable silence. Aside from a few minor false alarms, their patrol had been thankfully uneventful.

"Have you calmed down a bit?" Ladybug asked, slightly turning her head towards her partner.

"Yeah." Chat Noir stretched his arms upwards, relieving some of the tension. "Nothing like a good run for my paws."

"Good to hear."

"Hey, Ladybug?" A pause. "I really am sor—"

She sharply held up a palm towards him, effectively cutting him off.

"Like I said, _minou_ , don't worry about it. No more apologies for the rest of the night, okay?"

The heroine looked over at him, only to find a sly grin crossing his face. Her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, no…"

"You mean—"

"Chat Noir…"

"—a- _paw_ -logies?"

A loud groan escaped the heroine's lips as she let her face fall into her palm, Chat Noir snickering uncontrollably beside her.

"Oh, _chaton_ ," she sighed. "I walked right into that one."

"Thank you for the opening, _buginette_ ," Chat Noir simply replied with his signature grin.

Ladybug looked up at him again, her face neutral but eyes shining with something akin to relief.

"Looks like you've got your humor back," she noted before giving a mock-disappointed shrug. "Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted."

"Aw, come on." He winked at her playfully. "I know you've missed my _claw_ -some jokes."

"Quite the opposite, actually."

"One day, My Lady. I'll get you to laugh at one of my jokes. That's a _purr_ -omise."

"Keep dreaming, kitty."

They exchanged defiant looks, neither of them backing down, before they both relaxed as they let out a mutual chuckle. A peaceful air settled over them as they gazed out at the lights of Paris once more.

Another moment or two passed before Chat Noir cleared his throat.

"Ladybug, would it be all right if I can ask about… _that_ now?"

Knowing exactly what _that_ was, the heroine only nodded, shakily exhaled, and held up a hand, palm facing upward. From there, she willed her aspect into existence, specks of red, black, and pink energy steadily dancing around her hand.

"Ask away, _chaton_."

And so he did. She tried to answer as honestly as possible — as honest as she could without giving herself away. He held nothing back, wanting to know everything about her secondary aspect. He was quite surprised when he learned that it had first revealed itself during the fight with Metallica.

"I was right there and I didn't see it? How did that happen?"

"Well, she _was_ threatening me using you as a hostage, kitty. You were on the verge of passing out. Besides, I was kind of… glad you didn't see it. I was— it was scary."

Sensing her growing discomfort, the feline hero quickly moved on to the next question, catching the small change she made to her last statement. The budding tension quickly dissipated in his enthusiasm to know more. And the more questions she answered, the more enthralled he became. His fascination only grew as he learned new facts about his partner's new powers.

And yet, some part of him was growing increasingly worried as well.

"So, how strong are you, exactly?" he asked, half of his mask quirking up curiously.

Ladybug merely smiled in response before setting her aspect-active hand on the beam between them. Chat Noir jumped as he felt the metal beneath him start to groan and bend downwards.

" _B-Buginette_?" he gasped in surprise, his claws reflexively digging into the beam to keep himself upright as he dipped with it.

"I'm not even pressing on it that hard; I'm only applying a little pressure," Ladybug explained, her hand appearing as if it was merely resting on the beam.

" _A little_? My Lady, you're now taller than me!"

The heroine chuckled as she withdrew her hand, the beam gradually righting itself upon the loss of contact and bringing Chat Noir back to eye level. His grip on the metal loosened.

"My Kwami says it's powered by my emotions." Chat Noir watched in awe as Ladybug curled her fingers into a fist, the flecks transitioning into a spiral rhythm around her knuckles. "Mainly, my protectiveness."

"Huh?" Chat Noir cocked his head to the side at this, confused. "What does that mean?"

Ladybug was silent a moment before holding out her hand towards him, palm open and facing upward again. Her partner only stared at it in puzzlement before catching her glance at his own hand.

Eyes widening in realization, Chat Noir tentatively raised his hand and placed his palm flat on top of hers.

As her fingers wrapped around his, the specks of energy traveled across her hand until they were swirling around his as well, lighting up in a gentle glow that appeared reassuring.

Chat Noir felt warm.

He also felt the grip of her fingers tighten, the rate in which the specks revolved around their hands increasing in turn. The glow that emanated from them seemed to brighten in intensity until the hero had to squint slightly to see.

"Do you feel any pain, Chat?" Ladybug asked, looking at him intently.

The boy frowned, bewildered. Pain? Despite the naturally dull sensation of his partner's tight physical grip on his hand, he felt nothing else except warmth.

He shook his head to answer her.

The heroine smiled. "Good. That means it would never directly affect you, even if I'd want it to."

The feline hero's eyes widened at this answer. "Why?"

"Because you're my partner, _chaton_."

Because he was one of those she wanted to protect.

The sincerity Chat Noir heard in those words was enough to make his cheeks suddenly heat up. And as she relinquished his hand, he found himself mourning the loss of the gentle warmth that disappeared with it.

But he was still very curious. "And… what would have happened if your aspect _did_ affect me?"

Ladybug merely glanced at him, the corner of her lips rising up in a small smirk.

"Then there should have been dents in the sides of your hand, kitty."

Face contorting in alarm, Chat Noir quickly raised his hand to examine it, only to be cut off by the genuine laughter coming from the spotted heroine.

She shrugged in good humor at his unamused glare. "I'm sorry. That look on your face was just priceless."

The pout immediately disappeared from Chat Noir's face upon seeing her smile so freely, and he felt his cheeks start to heat up again.

That is, until he remembered the one question that had been eating at him, making him feel queasy.

He somehow knew he wasn't going to like this.

"Hey, Ladybug…"

She looked at him once more, attentive.

"Will you be…" He swallowed. "Will you be in much more danger now? Because of this?"

He reached out towards her hand, almost as if to grasp it again, before pulling back at the last second.

Ladybug said nothing, her face neutral. Her composed silence unnerved him, and he watched as she looked at the specks dancing around her hand, eyes contemplative.

The silence stretched.

Just as Chat Noir was about to open his mouth to rescind the question, Ladybug finally shrugged, giving a tiny smile as if it couldn't be helped.

"Well, considering our battle with the Landscaper, I'm pretty sure Papillon has grasped that I've received an upgrade. So…" She turned to him then, that smile still present as she winked. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

Chat Noir felt his heart clench. He knew he wouldn't have liked her answer as his worry spiked up a notch, his protectiveness of her bristling.

And yet, she sounded just as strong as always, accepting the situation for what it was and willing to face it head-on.

His train of thought was broken as she stood up, her aspect disappearing as she stretched her arms.

"It's getting late," she stated as he quickly stood up as well. "We both should be heading home. Was there anything else you wanted to know, _chaton_?"

A lot more. But he resolved to keep them to himself for now as he shook his head and swept an arm across his middle in a dramatic bow. "Thank you for indulging me, My Lady. This discussion has been _enlightening_ , to say the least."

"Hey, Chat Noir…"

The boy looked up at her to see something flash in her blue eyes as she gazed at him with an expression he couldn't describe.

"You're… okay, right? Everything's… all right?" she asked, her voice unusually hesitant.

He blinked. She sounded… worried about him. The revelation made him smile, touched.

"Yeah. Everything's _purr_ -fectly fine," he replied with his signature grin. At least, he _thinks_ he's fine. "Just a little tired, is all."

Ladybug let out a quiet sigh before giving a small smile as she threw her yo-yo at an anchor point of a nearby building. "All right then. Later, _minou_."

Chat Noir held up a hand and waved in return as she swung away, watching her form shrink into the distance before disappearing behind a chimney.

And yet, despite his claims, he could feel something in the deep recesses of his mind slipping away.

* * *

"Marinette…?" Tikki prompted as her holder gave her a cookie to recharge upon de-transforming.

The girl didn't respond, falling back onto her bed as she stared through the hatch up at the night sky pensively.

"You didn't ask him?" the Kwami continued after swallowing a bite of the treat.

"I didn't need to," Marinette finally replied, her voice completely somber. "It seems… that my hunch was right anyway. And earlier, the minute he touched my hand, I felt… empty. Similar to when I rejected my aspect, but also… different."

Tikki hovered near her wordlessly, expression full of worried anticipation as Marinette shook her head once, as if begrudgingly accepting a sobering fact, before turning to look at her tiny friend, eyes grave.

"Something's definitely up with Chat Noir. And apparently, it's _not_ good."

* * *

 **Ladynoir-centric :3**

 **So they finally had "The Talk" regarding her aspect, but now, with her hunches confirmed, Marinette's worried about something else:**

 **What's going on with Chat Noir?**

 **A/N: Sorry I'm not posting as often now. School is becoming hectic so updates will be a lot slower. I'll update whenever I can. So thank you all for reading and sticking with me! :D**


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